You’re Doing It Wrong: Air Travel

This week marks one of the busiest for travel — which for many of us means nervously clutching three-ounce shampoos as we queue up at security for government-sanctioned groping, followed by equally pleasant sardine-style seating and SkyMall reading. At least we now have something neat to see before boarding: “Getting There: Design for Travel in the Modern Age,” a just-opened exhibit that explores how design shapes our trips, from seats to signage to silverware. On view for a year at Logan’s Terminal E, it’s co-presented by Design Museum Boston, a decentralized network of exhibits celebrating smart design. Cofounder and director Sam Aquillano is pretty well-travelled himself; we tapped him for some tips.

ON OUR JET-SETTING PAST: “We have to be careful not look at the 1950s and ’60s air-travel experience through rose-colored eye masks (I couldn’t resist) — just think about people smoking cigarettes on planes. But it’s not called the Golden Age for nothing. . . . Travelers dressed up; they socialized with other passengers in in-air lounges. They collectively realized that what they were doing — flying — was an exciting experience.”

ON BUILDING BETTER AIRPORTS: “My favorite piece is a 1958 animated video created by Charles and Ray Eames for their friend Eero Saarinen, titled ‘The Expanding Airport….